Friday marks a monumental day for gambling in the south — Louisiana is launching legal online sports betting.
If you're new to betting (or just new to legal betting), you might have a few questions as you get started with one of the six sportsbooks set to go live.
Luckily it takes just a few minutes to get going and you'll be placing your first bet in no time. No strange websites or sketchy deposit methods.
Here are the four steps to get started, with plenty of helpful links along the way for new bettors.
How to Start Betting in Louisiana
Before we dive into signing up, familiarize yourself with key terms and ideas if you're brand new to betting:
- How Odds Work in Betting
- 12 Tips for Beginners
- What Do These Different Bonuses Mean?
- How Should I Use My Bonuses?
1. Choose Your Sportsbook
OK, now let's get started with your first sportsbook.
Eventually, you'll want to have multiple sportsbooks to get the best prices and a variety of bet types. But you gotta start with one.
Let's start with FanDuel, one of the six sites going live on Friday. The DFS giant — although its fantasy product has never been available in Louisiana — is the market leader in sports betting thanks to a big existing user base, user-friendly app and bet- variety relative to its competitors.
DraftKings, Caesars,BetRivers,BetMGM and Barstool will also go live Friday. Many more will eventually follow, as Louisiana's regulations will allow up to 41 online operators to enter the market.
2. Sign Up
Click here to get started with FanDuel's registration flow.
New bettors can claim $100 in free bets and a $1,000 deposit match with that link, or click the image below to start the sign-up process.
You'll be taken through a normal sign-up flow and asked to put in some information:
- Name
- Address
- Birthday
- Last four digits of SSN
Don't put in any false information, or the sportsbook won't be able to verify your account, and you won't be able to deposit and withdraw money.
If you're visiting Louisiana and your permanent address is in another state, use your real address, not the person's you're visiting. It's perfectly legal to sign up and bet when you're visiting and live out of state.
3. Deposit Money Online
Louisiana will allow fully online deposits and withdrawals.
FanDuel will prompt you to deposit in the sign-up flow. Just add a bank account or credit card to get started.
Here are the most popular deposit options:
- Credit card
- Bank account
- PayPal
- Wire transfer
- Many more…
4. Place Your First Bet
Onto the fun part. Time to make your first legal wager.
Once you're on the site or in the app, just click on the bet that you want next to the team you want to bet. The bet cell will turn blue, and also show up in the Bet Slip on the right side of your screen. In the FanDuel app, the Bet Slip is at the bottom.
Let's say you like the Bengals +7.5 against the Chiefs in Joe Burrow's first AFC Championship Game appearance. Click the box that lines up with the Bengals point spread, and it'll turn blue.
Head over to the bet slip, enter the dollar amount you want to bet, and click the green button at the bottom to place the bet. On your phone, the bet slip will be at the bottom of your screen.
All set! You've just placed your first legal sports betting wager in Louisiana. Now sit back and enjoy NFL conference championship weekend and beyond.
Here are a few more things to check out.
- Best Price on LSU Basketball to Win it All
- Which LA Parishes Won't Allow Betting?
- Saints 2023 Super Bowl Odds
- Joe Burrow Props for Sunday
- Ja'Marr Chase Props for Sunday
- The Value Bet on LSU Football in 2022